Television receiver



Feb. 6, 1945. J. K. ROSE TELEVISION RECEIVER Filed May 15, 1942 4Sheets-Sheet 1 Feb. 6, 1945. J. K. ROSE 2,368,882

TELEVISION RECEIVER Filed May 15, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 l I l l I I I Il l I l I I l Feb. 6, 1945. J. K. ROSE TELEVISION RECEIVER 4Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 15, 1942 Lu-ton MAJ Feb. 6, 1945. J. K. ROSETELEVISION RECEIVER Filed May 15, 1942 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Feb. 6,1945 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TELEVISION RECEIVER Joseph K. Rose,Chicago, Ill. Application May 15, 1942, Serial No. 443,104

11 Claims.

The present invention relates to television reieivers of the typeincluding an image producing member such as a cathode ray tube and animage exhibiting member which may or may not be a part of the tubeitself, and more particularly to means in association with theexhibiting member for shielding the same from external light.

Objects of the invention are to provide television receivers thatinclude a panel or frame surrounding the image exhibiting member, and anextensible light shield that may be collapsed into a recess of the panelbordering the image exhibiting member or may be extended to excludeexternal light from the image exhibiting member and thus afford asatisfactory view of the television image without darkening the room inwhich the receiver is located.

An object of the invention is to provide a television receiver includinga cabinet having an image exhibiting member mounted therein, with anormally concealed extensible and light shield associated with the imageexhibiting member which may be readily extended to provide a projectingshield effective to exclude external light from the screen when desiredand which will not detract from the appearance of the cabinet when inthe collapsed position.

Another object of the invention is to provide an extensible andcollapsible light shield for the image exhibiting means of a televisionreceiver which includes a door or the like serving as a closure for theexhibiting means when closed and as a support and part of the lightshield when opened.

Another object of the invention is to provide a collapsible light shieldfor the picture exhibiting means of a television receiver which may bereadily adjusted to the proper line of sight for the most satisfactoryviewing of the picture from the position occupied by the observer orobservers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent fromthe following detailed description ofseveral preferred embodiments ofthe invention illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a television receiver embodying theinvention, showing the light shield in closed position,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with the light shield extended,

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 33 of Fig. 1 with thelight shield in extended position,

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view approximately on the line 4-4,

Fig. 5 is a sectional detail of a slide support,

Fig. 6 is a front elevation of a television receiver embodying amodified form of the invention, with the light shield in extendedposition,

Fig. 7 is a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 8 is an enlarged detail view approximately on the line 88 of Fig.6,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged vertical sectional detail, with the doors closed,

Fig. 10 is an enlarged horizontal sectional detail,

Fig. 11 is a front elevation of another modification,

Fig. 12 is a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 13 is a partial front elevation with the light shield removed,

Fig. 14 is a sectional view of the same approximately on the line l4l4of Fig. 11, with an auxiliary front wall attachment fitted thereon,

shown in side elevation,

Fig. 15 is a front elevation showing the auxiliary front wallattachment,

Fig. 16 is a sectional detail of the operating means for the coverplates of the auxiliary front wall attachment,

Fig. 17 is a front elevation of another modification of the invention,

Fig. 18 is a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 19 is a sectional view on the line [9 of Fig. 1'7,

Fig. 20 is a similar view with the shield col lapsed, and

Fig. 21 is a vertical section with the lightshield and lid in closedposition.

Referring now more particularly to the embodiment of the invention shownin Figs. 1 to 5, 2.0 is a cabinet of wood or other suitable materialhaving an amplifier 2| and image producing member such as' a cathode raytube 22 mounted therein. The tube 22 is preferably of the type providedwith a fluorescent screen surface 23 on which the image is produced byelectron bombardment. The screen 23 may be viewed directly as the imageexhibiting member and for this purpose is framed by an opening 24 in thepanel 25 that forms a part of the front wall of the cabinet. The panel25 is provided with a recess or channel 26 outlining the imageexhibiting screen 23 for housing a collapsible light shield or hood 21,preferably in the form of a bellows, secured at its outer end to a rigidframe 28 by which the shield is extended and collapsed, and which isdimensioned to seat in the channel 28 over the shield and preferablyflush with theface of the cabinet and panel 25 when the shield iscollapsed. The inner end of the shield 21 is suitably attached to thebottom of the channel so as to cause the pleated walls thereof to expandand form a light shield or shadow box around the screen 23 when theframe 28 is pulled out to extended position.

The fame 28 is supported by rods 29 slidable in tubular guides 30mounted within the cabinet rearwardly of the upper corners of thechannel 28. The guides 30 are preferably tilted at a slight angle sothat in the extended position, the frame at the outer end of the bellowsis slightly elevated with respect to the screen, thereby making thepassage through the light shield coincident with the line of sight of aperson sitting or standing in front of the receiver. This isparticularly desirable when the receiver is a table model in which thescreen is below eye level ofthe viewer.

The frame and light shield supporting rods 29 are preferably rigidlysecured to the back of the frame 28, as indicated at 3| and are providedwith an angularly depending brace 32 adjacent the forward end thereofwhich is attached at its lower end to the inner face of the frame 28 asat 33 thereby making the frame 28 and rods 29 a rigid unit. The brace 32also serves to maintain the frame in a plane parallel to the face of thecabinet around the channel 26 so that the frame will seat flush with thesame in the collapsed position. The tubular guides 30 for the rods 29have spring pressed latching balls 34 which engage notches 35 and 36adjacent opposite ends of the rods 29, to secure the frame and lightshield in either the fully extended or fully closed position. Theselatches are readily released by the balls riding out of the notches whenthe frame 28 is intentionally pulled out or pushed in. A handle 31 ispreferably provided on the frame 28 to facilitate operation of theshield.

In the form of the invention shown in Figs. 6 to 10, a cabinet 40 havinga television receiver including a cathode ray tube having a fluorescentscreen surface 4|, is provided with a recessed panel 42 in the frontthereof. The panel 42 is provided with an opening 43 framing the screen4| and with side hinged doors 44 over the panel 42 to conceal the sameand the screen 4| when the receiver is not in use.

The cabinet 40 is provided with horizontal recesses or channels 45extending between the doors 44 in the face of the panel 42 screenopening 43 for housing extensible wall members 46. The wall members 46may be in the form of pleated collapsible strips of suitable materialand at their outer ends are fastened to bars or rods 41 having ball ends48 at the extremities thereof. The doors 44 are provided with guideslots 49 in their inner faces adjacent th top and bottom thereof toreceive the ball ends 48 and the edges of the extensible wall members 46when the doors are opened and the walls are extended outwardly. Theslots 49 are inwardly enlarged to receive the balls 48 endwise from theback edge of the doors but the opening of the slots onto the inner faceof the doors is narrower so that the balls are retained against lateraldisplacement from the slots while the edges of the extensible wallmembers extend into the slots and are guided and supported thereby, asshown in Figs. 8 and 9.

A spring clip or catch 50 carried by a mounting plate is secured at thefree or outer edge of the doors in line with the ball guiding portion ofeach of the slots 49 to grip the balls 48 and hold the same to retainthe wall members 48 in extended position.

adapted to close A above and below the 1 In order to adjust the upperwall member 48 so as not to interfere with the normal line of sight tothe screen, the upper slots 49 are disposed at an angle slantingupwardly from the back to the front edge of the doors. The angle of useof the upper wall member can be increased by elevating the front orouter edge of the top portion of the doors. In order to permit thisadjustment, the doors are made in two parts with an upper section 52, inwhich the upper slot 49 is formed, pivoted at the back edge to the lowersection as indicated at 53 in Fig. 8. A thumbscrew 54 and worm 55turning a jackscre 56 carried by the lower door section serves toelevate and lower the outer end of the upper door sections, thejackscrew being threaded through a nut 51 carried by the upper section.In order to prevent light entering between the door sections when theupper part is elevated, the meeting edges may be rabbetted to provideoverlapping edges.

In operation of this form of the invention, the doors are first openedto stand at right angles to the face of the cabinet and the rods 41 aredrawn outwardly, as by grasping the handle 58 provided centrally ofeach, whereupon the ball ends will enter the flared ends of the enlargedinner part of the slots 49 at the back edge of the doors. When thepartition is fully extended the ball ends 48 will snap into the springcatches 50 to retain the same in this position. If the outer edge of theupper wall member is found to be too low, the thumbscrews 54 are turnedto elevate the same on each side. Spring catches 59 are also preferablyprovided in the ends of the channels 45 to grip the ball ends 48 toretain the partitions in the collapsed position.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 11 to 14 a cabinet 60,with a front panel 8| having an opening 82 framing the screen 63 of acathode ray tube mounted therein, is provided with a drop type door 64for concealing the panel andscreenwhen the instrument is not in use.When a light shield is desired, the door is raised .to the horizontalposition and is retained there bysuitable supports.

A U-shaped channel or recess 68 is provide in the front panel GI and inthe same is mounted a Ushaped extensible light shield 89 having-a metalrod frame 10 secured at the outer edge thereof. This frame 10 isprovided with ball ends 1| on the upper ends of the side members thereofand the under or inner face of the door 84 is formed with slots 12similar to the slots 49 in the doors 44 so that the ball ends 1| andupper edges of the shield 69 slide and are retained therein when theshield is pulled out to the extended position after the door '64 isopened.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 17 to 21 the imageexhibiting member of the apparatus is a mirror or reflecting surfacemounted on the inner face of a hinged top lid 8| of the cabinet 82. Whenthe lid is raised to approximately a 45 angle the fluorescent screen end83 of a cathode ray tube in the cabinet is reflected in the mirror.

A rectangular recess or channel 84 is provided in the lid panel aroundthe mirror 80 and within this channel is seated an extensible lightshield in the form of a bellows member 85. A frame 86 is secured to thefront end of the extensible shield and the rear end is fastened in thebottom of the channel 84. The channel 84 is formed so that with the lid8| raised to the proper viewing angle, the upper and lower walls of theI mally collapsed within said recess and adapted transverse sections ofthe channel will be approximately horizontal so that the shield may beextended straight forwardly. The frame 88 is dimensioned to close thechannel over the shield 85 when the latter is collapsed and is providedwith handles 81 by which it may be drawn forwardly to extend the shieldto the position shown in Figs. 17-19 when the lid is raised. In theextended position, the bottom rail of the frame seats in a slot orrecess 82' at the front edge of the cabinet 82 so that the bellows isheld extended and the frame is maintained upright without other support.

The bottom wall 98 of the shield is formed with an opening SI forpassage of light from the cathode ray tube when the shield is extendedto permit unobstructed reflection of the screen 83 in the imageexhibiting mirror.

It may be desirable under some conditions, as when the light conditionsare such that an open front shield does not produce sufllcient shadowefl'ect around the image exhibiting member for satisfactory viewing, toprovide a shield having an apertured front closure for individualviewing of the screen through the respective openings. The inventionprovides means for providing any of the light shields previouslydescribed with an apertured front wall or panel for this purpose. Asshown in Figs. 14 to 16, a front wall panel 95 is provided having aplurality of individual viewing apertures 96, normally closed bysuitable pivoted doors or flaps 91 which may be opened when desired bylevers 98 linked thereto. The wall panel 95 is provided along the upperand lower edges thereof with rearwardly extending spring clips orflanges 99 adapted to engage the top and bottom members of the severaldisclosed light shields. It will thus 'be seen that any of the shieldsillustrated may be quickly provided with a front wall merely by slippingthe apertured auxiliary panel 95 onto the end of the ex-. tended shieldin each case. When not in use the auxiliary panel 95 can be kept in thebase of the cabinet.

Claims specific to t e embodiments of the in-' vention illustrated inFigs. 6 to 10 and in Figs. 17 to 21 are presented in my copendinapplication Serial No. 540.087, filed June 13, 1944, and Serial No.545,922, filed July 21. 1944, respectively.

While preferred embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed by way of illustration, it will be understood that variousother modifications and changes in the details of construction may beresorted'to without departing from the spirit of the invention withinthe scope of the appended claims.

I claim: 1. In a television receiver, a cabinet. an image producinsystem including an image exhibiting member mounted in said cabinet, aforwardly facing panel framing said image exhibiting mem- I ing panelframing said image exhibiting member and having a recess bordering saidimage exhibiting member. an extensible wall member norto be forwardlyextended therefrom to comprise a light shield for the image exhibitingmember,

and extensible supporting means carried by said cabinet for supportingsaid extensible wall member in its forwardly extended position.

3. In a television receiver, a cabinet, an image producing systemincluding an imaggexhibiting member mounted in said cabinet, aforwardfacing panel framing said image exhibiting member and having a recessbordering said image exhibiting member, an extensible wall member housedin said recess and adapted to be forwardly extended therefrom to form alight shield for the image exhibiting member, a hinged door carried bysaid cabinet adapted to overlie said panel in closed position and toextend outwardly above and at right angles thereto in open position, andinterengaging means on said door and, extensible wall member forsupporting said extensible wall member in its forwardly extendedposition.

4. In a television receiver, a cabinet, an image producing systemincluding an image exhibiting member mounted in said cabinet, a forwardfacing panel framing said image exhibiting member and having a recessbordering said image exhibiting member, an. extensible wall memberhoused in said recess and adapted to be forwardly extended therefrom toform a light shield for the image exhibiting member, a hinged doorcarried by said cabinet adapted in closed position to overlie said paneland in open position to 'extend outwardly above and at right anglesthereto, said door having guide means for said extensible wall memberwhen said door is in open position, and means carried by said extensiblewall member adapted to engage said guide means when said extensible wallis extended with said door in open position.

5. In a television receiver, the invention as re- I cited in claim 4,wherein said wall member has bottom and side sections cooperating withsaid door to form a light shield of substantially rectangular form.

6. In a television receiver, a cabinet, an image producing systemincluding an image exhibiting member mounted in aid cabinet, a forwardfacing panel framing said image exhibiting member and having a recessbordering said image exhirbiting member, an extensible wall memberhoused in said recess and adapted to be forwardly extended therefrom toform a light shield for the image exhibiting member, a frame carried bysaid extensible wall member and adapted in the collapsed positionthereof to seat over said recess and to conceal the same and saidextensible wall member, and extensible supporting means for saidextensible wall and frame carried by said calbinet comprising supportingguide members mounted in said cabinet, a pair of rods slidable in saidguides and secured at one end to said frame.

7. In a television receiver as defined in claim 6, means associated withsaid guides and rods slidable therein for releasably latching said rodsin extended and retracted position, respectively.

8. In a television receiver, a cabinet, an image 7 producing systemincluding an image exhibiting member mounted in said cabinet, aforwardly facing panel framing said image exhibiting member and having arecess bordering said image exhibiting memlbenan extensble member housedin said recess and adapted to be forwardly extended therefrom tocomprise a light shield adjacent the image exhibiting member, meanscarried by said cabinet for supporting said extensible member in itsforwardly extended position, an apertured panel adapted to form a frontclosure for said light shield for individual viewing of said imageexhibiting member through the apertures therein, and means fordetachably securing said apertured panel on the front of the lightshield.

9. In a television receiver, a cabinet, an image producing systemincluding an image exhibiting 3 member mounted in said cabinet, aforwardly facing panel framing said image exhibiting member and having arecess bordering said image exhibiting member, an extensible wall memberhoused in said recess and adapted to be forwardly extended therefrom tocomprise a light shield adjacent the image exhibiting member, meanscarried by said cabinet for supporting said extensible member in itsforwardly extended position, an aper tured panel adapted to form a frontclosure for said light shield for individual viewing of the imageexhibiting member through the apertures thereof, movable closure meansfor each of the apertures, individual operating members for moving saidclosure members from over the apertures and means for detachablysecuring said apertured panel on the outer end of said light shield.

10. In a television receiver including a cabinet supporting animage-exhibiting member and a light shield for the same, an aperturedpanel adapted to form a. front closure for said light shield forindividual viewing of the image exhi'biting memlber through theapertures thereof, movalble closure means for each of the apertures,individual operating members for moving said closure members from overthe apertures and means 'for detachably securing said apertured panel onthe outer end of said light shield comprising upper and lower grippingmembers carried by aid panel adapted to engage the outer portion ofopposed sides of the light shield.

11. In a television receiver including a cabinet supporting animage-exhibiting member and a light shield for the same, an aperturedpanel adapted to form a front closure for said light shield forindividual viewing of the image exhibiting member through the aperturesthereof. movable closure means for each of the apertures, individualoperating members for moving said closure members from over theapertures and means for detachably securing said apertured panel on theouter end of said light shield.

JOSEPH K. ROSE.

